In this last thread I talked about the fact that all too many young athletes are all too self satisfied and that this kind of mindset is,or certainly can be, VERY detrimental to developing one's true potential.
To some extent, this kind of self-satisfaction is a function of some larger cultural forces that have emerged over the last 25 or so years. A hint of those forces can be found in a comparison of 2 polls conducted wherein the question to graduating high school students was:
"Do you think you are an above average student?" In around 1970 the answer was that 10% of the students thought they were above average. In around 2014 SEVENTY % thought they were above average!!
Aside from the fact that this would be a statistical impossibility,is the more important fact that all too many young people have been told how good they are [due to influences like the so-called "self esteem movement, the alleged dangers of competition,etc., et al].
As opposed to being told as to what the HIGH STANDARD actually is and how they currently do NOT meet THAT level of achievement, aptitude,competence,etc.
I'll state the obvious here: If one has been told as to how great they are, what incentive are they going to have to really try to develop beyond where they currently are?
In this context it is certainly worth noting that Asians have had the highest SAT scores for as long as I have been looking at such stats. And, interestingly enough they have the LOWEST self ratings on self esteem. To me this correlation makes sense!
To bring this back to hitting instruction, I'll say this: When you work with me I AM going to compare you to the HIGH STANDARD and I AM going to tell you SPECIFICALLY what your flaws actually are.
As I have said many times, I'm paid to see flaws that most others don't see and it is my job as someone who is VERY interested in the athletes TRUE potential, to point out these flaws.
When initially working with hitters, or in talking to hitters, I am constantly surprised as to how few have ANY real idea as to what their hitting flaws ACTUALLY are. My job ---certainly as the first step in the developmental process---is to explain these flaws.
A contrasting--and all too typical---example is one in which I was watching a young hitter in a cage. He had numerous movement flaws that I could see in real time. Later I ask him if he was working on anything specific. His answer:
"I'm just working on my swing." When I ask him as to what flaws he might have and if he knew about ways to work at those flaws he said:
"Naw not really .....I'm just working on my swing."
Now, it is true,that this MIGHT yield, over time, implicitly derived improvement .
"Naw not really .....I'm just working on my swing."
Now, it is true,that this MIGHT yield, over time, implicitly derived improvement .
But. Having seen many such players over a long period of time, I will simply say that this kind of relatively vague focus will NOT lead to reaching one's true potential.
